It is with profound sadness that the Neil Evans Melanoma Foundation (NEMF) acknowledges the passing of Professor Richard Scolyer AO, who died on Sunday, 7 June 2026, at the age of 59.
NEMF and Beat Melanoma were born from a simple but powerful conviction — that every Australian melanoma patient deserves a chance to beat their cancer, without financial barriers. This was Neil Evans‘ final wish, and it guides everything we do.
And so this week, we mourn the loss of someone who shared that conviction just as deeply.
Richard was one of the most distinguished figures in melanoma research globally; a scientist, clinician, and tireless advocate.
As Co-Medical Director of Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA) alongside long-time colleague and Neil’s own oncologist, Professor Georgina Long OA, Richard’s work helped transform advanced melanoma from a likely death sentence into a disease that half of patients now survive long-term (in Australia “[t]he 5-year overall survival rate for advanced melanoma has increased from <10% to >55%*”).
He was also a champion for the equitable care that Neil dreamed of making possible for all Australians.
From the time that Richard was diagnosed with a grade 4 glioblastoma in June 2023, he committed to sharing his cancer journey publicly; in an act of extraordinary personal generosity, he even underwent the world’s first experimental immunotherapy protocol for brain cancer, transforming his diagnosis into a platform for discovery that may one day benefit others facing similarly desperate odds.
MIA’s mission is ‘zero deaths from melanoma’. It is achievable. So the best tribute we can offer is to keep working, individually and together, towards that goal.
Vale, Richard.
Those wishing to leave a personal tribute can do so on the MIA website.
*Source: Melanoma Institute Australia
Image credit: Melanoma Institute Australia
